Cleveland Guardians star Jose Ramirez has anchored the team's lineup throughout the past few years. New Guardians manager Stephen Vogt reportedly talked to Ramirez about a potential change in the lineup to help the Guardians' inconsistent offense, per Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com.

“Manager Stephen Vogt said he's talked to Jose Ramirez about hitting second AND third in the lineup this year. He has traditionally hit 3rd, but moved into the No. 2 spot last year to try and help the G's struggling offense,” Hoynes wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

Ramirez is one of the best players in baseball. He's underrated without question, and has produced most of the damage in Cleveland's lineup in recent seasons.

Ramirez has finished within the top six of MVP voting five times. The highest he's finished is second, as he narrowly missed out on the award in 2020.

In 2023, the Guardians star slashed .282/.356/.475/.831 across 156 games played. He added 24 home runs, 80 RBI, and 28 stolen bases. Although it was a productive campaign, it was a down season for Ramirez's standards. Nevertheless, he was selected to his third consecutive and fifth career All-Star game.

Why would Jose Ramirez hitting second help Guardians' lineup?

Cleveland doesn't feature much depth from an offensive standpoint. The Guardians' lineup struggled for most of 2023 as a result. Moving Ramirez up in the lineup would allow him to receive more at-bats, which would surely lead to more all-around production for the team.

Steven Kwan, Josh Naylor, and Andres Gimenez are Cleveland's other notable offensive presences. Naylor and Kwan may be on the verge of big seasons, but Gimenez struggled in 2023. The Guards are certainly hoping that Gimenez can rebound in 2024.

Bo Naylor also has potential at the plate. It will be interesting to see if he earns the Guardians starting catcher job out of spring training.

In the end, Jose Ramirez is the leader of this Guardians offense. With that being said, he will need help if Cleveland wants to make any kind of playoff run.